Hermits and Otters
by CryHavocMacbeth
Summary: Meet Inkara, a crazy young girl who lives on a boat and makes jewelry for strangers. Follow her on her adventures with her family, Oswald, Newt, and the Krew. Rated T for language, but if I need to change the rating, tell me.
1. Greetings

**Hey, it's me. I'm not dead. I lost interest in the other story I was writing. I couldn't think of anywhere to go with it anymore. It was half finished and I fell bad for not finishing it. I'll try to rekindle it, but in the meantime, here's a LoK story.**

**Again, OCxCanon. Some people don't like that, but then again, this isn't your story. I hope you like my characters, though. I spent a lot of time thinking them up and my friend supplied me with a majority of the names.**

**It's also in a different style from my other one.**

* * *

**Prologue**

As stupid social laws dictate, I have to give you an introduction.

Yo. My name's Ink. I don't like people, so I probably won't like you.

…

Okay, so I don't dislike people. But _they_ seem to dislike _me_. Probably because I have horrible social skills and can't remember faces. There's a huge list, actually, of things I'm not good at. Cooking, abiding the laws, apologizing, asking questions, not breaking priceless artifacts (found that one out by stepping inside of a museum). Oh, and making nice with the relatives. They are my number one hate fans.

But I'm good at things, too, don't get me wrong. I can make jewelry, sail, fish, draw. Basically anything creative, but not because I spent years cultivating my talents. Well, I kinda did, but not because I made the conscious decision to become an artist. It's more of a stress reliever. I have… anger issues. Or at least that's what Ossie says (you'll meet him later). Mainly stemming from family issues and idiots.

And the biggest idiot I've met so far is a guy named Bolin.


	2. Bumpy Meetings

**Hey, realized that maybe this isn't a new style, just a new pronoun.**

**:D**

**Either way, please read and review. If the cursing upsets you, I really can't fix it. Sorry.**

* * *

**Bumpy Meetings**

Waking up is probably the worst feeling in the world. I hated waking up. Waking up meant facing another day of loneliness and despair. Another day of-

"CAP'N INK! WAKE UP!" One of my crew members on deck yelled. Probably Naomi, she was louder than her sister.

"GIVE ME FUCKING SECOND! I GOTTA FIND A PAIR OF PANTS!" I screamed back, rolling out of my fur-lined hammock. I found a pair of blue cloth pants that were two sizes too big, but that's how I liked them: _Baggy_. I pulled them up and yanked the drawstring, tying it tightly around my waist. On the way out of my cabin, I grabbed my loose fitting, blue tinted, hooded shirt.

"What the hell do you want?" I sleepily asked the little earthbender girl in front of me.

"Breakfast is ready!" She beamed, holding a plate of leftover crab cakes and bread slices out to me.

Naomi looked like an innocent little girl, with her black wavy hair cut above shoulders and bright green eyes, but she was tough. I had never seen a little kid punch a full grown man in the face before I met her. She was one of the most powerful earthbenders I knew, and she was still learning. She went around barefoot (actually, all of us did. Who needs shoes on a ship?) and wore a sleeveless green tunic with dark tan pants that went to her knees. I had made her leather ankle and wrist cuffs with metal studs for her birthday last year, which she was super happy about.

"Thanks, Kiddo." I said, taking the plate and sitting down where I stood. "Where's Ossie?"

"He's diving for oysters this morning." Ren, Naomi's older firebending sister answered. "Said something about a good haul."

Ren and Naomi were exactly the same, at least compared to skin and hair color. Ren's hair was cut so short that most people assumed she was a boy. Her golden eyes were the only thing I thought of as truly girly, the eyelashes were too long for a guy's. Her clothes were shades of red and crimson and meant for much warmer weather than spring. She had her ears pierced with two charms I had made for her as well. Her left ear had a silver Earth Kingdom emblem, while the right had a gold Fire Nation emblem. 'A reminder' she had told me when she commissioned me for the job. A reminder of what, I have no idea.

"Okay." I nodded. "We'll be making port in a day or so."

"Good." Ren huffed. "I love your boat and all, Ink, but being out at sea for so long is boring."

"Yeah, well, screw you." I sighed. "I'm not looking forward to going to the city."

"But Mom's there." Ren said, knitting her eyebrows together. "Why would you hate Republic City?"

"Not exactly the place for a hermit to feel comfortable, you know." I explained, stuffing my breakfast into my mouth. "When we get there, I don't want you two going off the ship without me or Oswald."

"What? Why?" Ren protested.

"Yeah! We can take care of ourselves!" Naomi added.

"You two are seven and five. The only thing you can take care of is your bowel movements." I pointed out, glaring at Naomi. "Little Miss Pees-Her-Pants."

The earthbender girl turned a bright red. "That only happened once and you were the one that jumped out at me when I had to go!"

Ren and I laughed, which caused Naomi to punch us both in the arms out of embarrassment. I chuckled and rubbed my arm, then pulled her into a huge hug.

"Sorry, Kiddo." I apologized, kissing the top of her head. "Anything specific in the city you want to see?"

"Nope. Just Mom." Ren said. She was very attached to her mother, even though she only saw her once a year.

"I want to see a Pro-Bending match!" Naomi said, thrusting both fists into the air.

"Yeah!" Ren said, perking up instantly. "Especially if the Fire Ferrets are playing!"

"I thought you said you just wanted to see your mom." I said, squinting teasingly at her.

"Pro-Bending is awesome." She shrugged. "The nightly radio broadcasts were our favorite things to listen to back home."

Her and Naomi frowned, remembering that there was no home to go back. I felt a pang of guilt, then smiled mischievously and tickled Naomi's sides. She laughed and wiggled free.

"Time to clean up and get this ship in ship shape." I said, standing. "Ren, go get the buckets and brushes. Naomi, go get Newt."

"Awww, why does Ren get the easy job?" Naomi complained.

"Stop whining or I'll throw you overboard." I threatened as she climbed the mast.

"You keep saying that, but I gets less convincing each time." She called.

I shook my head, a smile on my face. Ren returned with the buckets and I leaned over the starboard side to fill them with water. Ossie's head materialized under my chin and as I looked down, I screamed.

"Good morning, Inkara." He said, sticking a finger in his little otter ear. "It's good to see you awake and active."

He slurred his 's's, making them sound like 'sh's. It made listening to him talk quite enjoyable, like listening to a band's new record every time he opened his mouth.

"Mornin' Os." I grumbled, straightening. "Catch anything edible?"

"Found an octopus and a good helping of oysters. When do we make land?" He asked.

"A day I think." I shrugged.

"Hm." He nodded, jumping onto my ship's deck. "I saw a few fishing boats out here and a rather speedy one zipping around. Pretty dangerous if you ask me."

He shook him self off, spraying me with salt water.

"How is that dangerous?" I asked. "As long as they stay the hell away from us, we'll be fine."

"Yes, but the motor boat was going terribly fast. I was afraid one of the passengers would have fallen off and we'd-"

_THUMP_

The sound was accompanied by the sudden sway of my ship. I looked at Ossie with a crazed, worried feeling swelling in my chest.

"CAP'N!" Naomi called from the crow's nest. "WE HIT SOMEONE!"

A scream echoed internally, my head completely hollow. But my thoughts were back within moments and stampeding like a herd of Komodo Rhinos.

"DROP THE DAMN ANCHOR!" I ordered at the top of my lungs before I dove into the water.

My mind raced. _Oh my spirits. I HIT someone! They could be dead or worse. What if it's someone important? *gasp* What if it's someone I KNOW! Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry! I swear, if you're dead, I'll pay for your funeral. Oh god, why is this happening to me?_

I finally reached the floating, unconscious lump of a man and pulled him toward the ship, which was difficult because I was swimming for two without any help from Mr. Driftwood. Once we made it to the ship, I had Ren and Naomi lower one of the row boats and haul us up.

On deck, I rolled the still unconscious seafarer onto his back. His hair clung to his forehead in wet tendrils, his clothes were common, and the only identifiable feature were his eyebrows, which looked like two mammoth caterpillars and decided to hibernate on his forehead. I was afraid to think of what his dad's eyebrows were shaped like.

"Is he breathing?" Ren asked, crouching next to him and poking his temple.

"I can't believe you actually hit someone." Naomi said, leaning down to stare at the young man, her hands on her knees.

"Uhhh." Our victim groaned, his eyelids closing tighter in reaction.

"At least he's alive." Ossie sighed, straightening out his fur, which had become ruffled from worry.

"He's not gonna be happy when he wakes up." I said. "Pull up the anchor and release the sails. I want to be in Republic City by sunset."

"Aye aye, cap'n." Ren said, scurrying off.

"Naomi, go grab some towels and tell Newt to come down right now." I ordered.

She nodded and raced into the cabin, then ran back out carrying a mound of dry towels that eclipsed her field of vision. She unloaded all of them onto Mr. Driftwood's stomach, which made him grunt, and started pushing towels on either side of him until he was completely buried.

"You look like you have this covered." I said sarcastically, but stood anyway. "I'm gonna get Newt."

She smiled at me. "'Kay, cap'n."

I nodded and thought of how our new shipmate would react to opening his eyes and finding himself under a mountain of towels. I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of him squealing and throwing towels around. I climbed to the helm, finding Newt, my astral newt, curled around one of the wheel spokes, guiding the ship across the water.

"You know that I know that you can guide the _Unagi_ from anywhere, right?" I said as I uncurled the tiny black amphibian from the wood. "This is the best place to sun yourself, though. I guess I can't be mad. I'd probably be downing the same."

Newt looked up at me with unnaturally purple eyes, the color of amethyst. She chirped and rubbed her head against my thumb, then rose into the air to float in front of me. She chirped again, then flew over to Mr. Driftwood, chirping thoughtfully. Her skin changed a muted blue color, conveying her feelings for worry.

"Yeah. I kinda hit him with the ship." I said, walking back over. "Do you think you can get us to port a little faster?"

Newt turned red, angry at the suggestion.

"I know you're completely capable of getting us there." I snapped, crossing my arms. "But if I have to carry your half-dead carcass for a week, I'm putting you in my pocket. And not the clean one either."

She glared at me, turning a darker red, and trilled. The thing about astral newts is that, if they attach themselves to an object or person and depending on the object or person, lend it their cosmic will or share the same emotions. It's… complicated. But when she trilled, my ship moved faster across the water, as if a huge gust of wind was being directed into the sails.

"How long 'til we reach land?" Naomi asked.

"About an hour. Dry the urchin up. We'll figure out what to do with him when we get there." I explained, grabbing a towel from the horde and drying my already crazy hair. "When we make port, we'll inform the dock master about our little find and then go get some lunch."

She nodded and rubbed the towels frantically, giggling as the poor soul underneath grumbled in his sleep.


	3. Bus Stop Shenanigans

**Okay, so... another chapter.**

**Realized that writing this story has been fueling my desire to finish my other story. I might be writing two at the same time in the near future, which means alternating between this one and the Waywalker. But first I have to catch this story up to how many chapters are in the WW. Waywalker = prologue + 5 chapters. After that, I'll be alternating between the two. One update for one up date.**

**Anyway, read and review. Tell me whatcha think.**

* * *

**Bus Stop Shenanigans**

Ren and I moored the _Unagi_ to port, leaving Naomi and Oswald to look after the castaway. After some thought, that was probably a bad idea, leaving a five year old and talking otter to tend to a man who had just been hit by a medium sized ship and possibly disoriented. But I didn't really have time to care about the consequences of such a minor action. And they wouldn't be left alone very long.

Once the ropes were secure at the ship safe, I led Ren back up the gangplank and we stood over Mr. Driftwood.

"We should take him to the police." Ren suggested. "Two birds, one stone."

"And if the cops don't know who he is? What are they gonna do?" I asked. "Nothing. So we might as well save ourselves the hassle of dragging Sleeping Beauty over here all the way down there."

"Should we call the dock master?" Ren asked.

"He's funny." Naomi giggled, sitting on top of the towels and tickling the poor man's nose. "Can we keep him?"

"No, Naomi. He's not a stray panda pug. We can't keep him." I scowled.

"Awww." Naomi whined. "He could be our big brother! I always wanted one."

"He's someone else's brother, Badgermole." Ren said, crossing her arms. "He has a family that's probably worried about him."

"Can we at least wait until he wakes up?" She pleaded. "I want to know his name."

"How about no." I said, walking back over to the gangplank. "We ask the dock maestro if anyone's missing a meathead and deal with it, whatever _it_ happens to be."

Mr. Driftwood snored loudly, then mumbled something under his breath.

"What'd he say?" Ren asked.

"Aura?" Naomi asked, leaning closer to the guy's mouth. "Repeat that, please?"

Another mumbled name, louder this time.

"What?" I asked.

"He said Korra." Naomi said, straightening.

"As in the Avatar?" Ren asked, turning to me with a raised eyebrow.

"What the hell you lookin' at me fo'?" I asked, giving her an exaggerated shrug. "Do I look like a phone book to you?"

"No. But it's a lead." Ren said, walking past me toward the gangplank. "I'm gonna go call Councilman Tenzin. He could send a car to pick him up."

"How the hell does a seven year old know so much about goddamn politics?" I grumbled, sitting next to Mr. Driftwood. Newt flew over with my memory sketchbook and my pouch of color fragments. "What? Want me to make you something?"

She turned a light shade of pink.

"Of _him_?" I jerked my thumb at the castaway.

Newt nodded vigorously.

I huffed, trying not to laugh. "Sorry sweetie, but your boyfriend isn't getting in my book. He's not someone I need to remember."

She turned yellow.

"Okay, you have point. If I run into him again, it'd be better to know his face." I sighed, turning to a new page. "But I'm putting him down as Driftwood, got it?"

* * *

Ren came back with a very sour face on.

"Didn't go through?" I asked, shading in the simple black and white profile.

"The operator said prank calls were going to be reported to the police." Ren pouted, sitting angrily next to me. "There goes our lead."

"We could call a taxi." Naomi smiled.

"No. Money. For. Taxi." I said curtly. "We broke as shit."

"Then we have to at least _carry_ him inland. At least until we run into a bus stop." Ren said. "We're obligated, since we're the ones that hit him."

"True fucking shit." I grumbled, rubbing my eyes. "Why did this have to happen to us? We were suppose to be in and out, no troubles."

"If you haven't noticed yet, we kind of attract trouble." Ren said.

"Yeah, like some fairy groin." Naomi said, playing puppet with Driftwood's arms.

"Pheromone." I corrected, laughing. "It's pheromone. Do you even know what a groin is?"

"That's where you kick when a scary guy tries to talk to you." Naomi beamed.

"Where'd you learn that?" I asked.

"Daddy." She smiled. "He said that Mommy did that to him when they first met by accident."

I laughed so hard I nearly fell over. Ren rolled her eyes and walked over to her sister and the castaway.

"Naomi and I will get his feet, you get his shoulders." She instructed, pulling the snoozing man's feet from under the towels.

I huffed in irritation, but stood anyway. I wanted this bum off my boat as soon as possible. I grabbed his shoulders roughly, but underestimated his weight and nearly unhinged my arm.

"Gah!" I grunted. "What the hell does this guy eat? Rocks?"

"How should we know?" The sisters said in unison.

It was almost comical, the way we dragged Mr. Driftwood down the gangplank. I led, followed by the girls, who could barely hold up his legs. Naomi couldn't even wrap her arms around his thigh.

We staggered out onto the main sidewalk, with it's surprising lack of city-goers trampling across it's pavement, and walked toward the nearest bus stop. We sat him at the bench, with awkward precision, and I turned to leave.

"What are you doing?" Ren asked.

"Um, going home?" I said. "We got him to the station."

"We have to watch him! Make sure no one steals his money." Ren said. "Honestly, don't you have common decency?"

"_Honestly_?" I mocked. "I don't give two shits."

"You were pretty worried when you hit him with your boat." She pointed out, sticking an accusatory finger at me.

"Because he could have died!" I exclaimed. "Now he's in no harm."

"There are Triad members that could hurt him." Naomi said. "We should watch him until the bus comes."

"Fine. But we are _not_ getting on the bus with him." I ordered. "We still have shit to do back on the _Unagi_."

"Fine, fine." Ren waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, if anyone's looking for him, they would have to come through here."

I sat down with a huff next to Mr. Driftwood and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And _waited_.

"Oh my _fucking_ god!" I exclaimed after two hours of nothing but sitting around. "When is the bus getting here?"

"Maybe it broke?" Naomi shrugged.

"They could have discontinued this stop." Ren lazily replied.

"Holy flying fuck!" I yelled, jumping to my feet and slapping both of hands on my forehead to keep from punching something. "Now what're we gonna do?"

"I can't believe we lost him!" Some guy exclaimed.

The three of us turned to stare at the Satomobile across the street, right in front of us. Three people were sitting inside, arguing about who was to blame for the mishap that had befallen them.

"Asami's the one who wanted to go for a boat ride to begin with." One of the girls, a Water Tribesman, huffed with arms crossed.

"_You_ were the one driving, Korra. And _both_ of us were telling you to slow down." The other girl, prettier and wearing expensive city clothes, retorted.

I didn't really pay attention to them after the name _Korra_ slipped out. Telling Ren and Naomi to stay put, I walked over to the Satomobile.

Plastering a fake, polite smile on my face, I approached the driver's side door. "Um, excuse-"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't know how to drive?" The Korra girl argued, frowning.

"Then why did you jump at the chance?" The boy in the backseat exclaimed.

"Uh, hello?" I said, deflated.

"Oh!" The Asami girl noticed me and smiled politely, the other two busying themselves with their argument. "Thank you, but I don't need my windows washed."

I stared at her, my mind slowly splitting into an angry frustration. _Keep calm. Keep calm. Keepcalmkeepcalmkeepcalmkeep calm._

"Uh, I'm not-"

She turned back to the others, who were starting to become volatile. I felt a vein in my forehead pop with rage.

"Screw it." I mumbled. "Fight fire with fire, right?" I slammed my hand against the hood, silencing everything, and took a huge gasp of air. "DID YOU THREE ASSHOLES LOSE AN IDIOT?"

I waved my other hand at the bus stop, where Naomi and Ren were trying to keep Driftwood's head upright. It kept lolling backwards and the movement had thrown the bum off balance. He slowly drooped toward Naomi and eventually toppled over on her. Ren laughed, but wasn't able to rescue her sister.

"BO!" The three exclaimed.

TheAsami girl floored the gas pedal and I was forced to grab onto the driver's door to keep from being sideswiped into the street. She yanked the wheel sharply, parallel parking in front of the bus stop. Afraid that she would do some other crazy shit with the car, I immediately hopped off and ran around to roll the castaway off of Naomi.

"What happened to him?" The young man asked, jumping out and hurrying to Driftwood's side. He had oddly shaped eyebrows as well. They reminded me of dolphin seals.

"He got hit by our boat." Naomi said cheerfully.

"What?" Mr. Eyebrows turned to glare at me. "You hit my brother with a boat!"

"Eh he he." I chuckled nervously. "Sort of an accident. Wasn't exactly expecting someone out in the middle of the ocean."

Eyebrows glared at the Korra girl, who glared back in defiance.

"But hey!" I said, plastering on a fake smile. "You found him, he's not dead, and you can move on with your life! No need to shove blame at each other."

"But you really shouldn't be going that fast in fishing waters." Ren said, picking up her little sister. "Our friend, Oswald was diving out there and nearly got clipped by you guys."

"Ren." I hissed. "Stop stirring the pot."

"No, you're right." The Asami girl said, stepping forward. "We're sorry. I promise it won't happen again."

"Okay." I said, straightening and brushing my pants off. "I'm glad we were able to find you. Hope your brother doesn't catch a cold."

"Thanks for taking care of him." Asami replied. "And sorry about mistaking you for a window washer earlier."

"It's fine." I shrugged.

There was an awkward pause as she stared at me and I stared back, wondering if I could leave.

"Um… Did you want something else?" I asked.

"Just your names." She smiled. "So we can tell Bo when he wakes up."

"No need." I said, shaking my hands in front of me. "I don't plan on staying in the city too long."

"Really?" Asami pouted. "But I'm sure Bolin would want to know who saved him. And we would like to thank you properly."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck, studying the ground with anxiety. "You can just call me Captain. The little shits do."

"We're crew mates one and two." Ren said, resting her arm on top of her sister's head and leaning to one side. "Names aren't really important."

The Korra girl chuckled. I wasn't quite sure if it was in a mocking way, or if she generally found Ren's humor entertaining. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Asami Sato." She waved her hand at the young man who had placed his brother in the back seat. "That's Mako, he's Bolin's brother."

"And I'm Korra." She introduced herself. "I'm-"

"The Avatar?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Recognized me, huh?" She smiled.

"Nope. Never seen a picture of you in my life." I said. "Crew mate number one has, though." I looked between her and Mako. A thin red line connected them together at the fingers. "You two dating?"

Mako blushed and Korra smiled sheepishly.

"That's a yes then." I mumbled, turning toward Mako. "And your Drift- I mean… Bolin, right? Yeah. You're Bolin's brother?"

"Yeah. Did he say something?" Mako asked, frowning in worry.

"No, no." I said, waving off the suggestion. "He hasn't woken up once since we found him. I just… read people. I guess." I shrugged. "Well, better be going. Got work to do."

"Okay. Thank you again for helping Bolin." Asami smiled.

I nodded, then spread my arms out and brought them swirling back to my center, but not clasping them together. "The Spirits watch over you." I bowed, my hands remaining in there position at my abdomen.

Ren and Naomi did the same, "The Spirits watch over you."

We walked away, Naomi and Ren waving goodbye to the band of heroes. I couldn't stop thinking about how Driftwood had said the Avatar's name, or how his brother was dating her.

Maybe I was coming down with something.


	4. Memories as Fuzzy as Eyebrows

**Alright, third chapter. Two more and I'll attempt to alternate between my two stories.**

**Read and review! I really appreciate it. Seriously. From the bottom of my heart. ****_Review_****.**

* * *

**Memories as Fuzzy as Eyebrows**

The next morning, I woke up and went through my usual morning routine: roll out of my hammock, pull on some baggy clothes, hopelessly claw at my tangled mess of hair, then walked out onto the deck for breakfast and sunbathing. Ossie always told me that I looked like tamed bearded cat when I lazed about beneath the glow of day. I usually threw something at him in response.

But today, like many days to come while in this city, was not normal. When I finished breakfast, a delightful span of fish and bread, I got up to walk to the helm, but Oswald grabbed my pant leg.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Do you remember yesterday?" He asked.

I grumbled under my breath and sat back down. "Two guys with funky eyebrows. We hit one of them. There was a bus stop, you guys were there. And then I wanted to punch something."

"Remember any faces?" He inquired. "Names?"

"No names, and the only thing about faces are those eyebrows." I said, playing with one of the teacups. "One set of dolphin seals and another set of mammoth caterpillars."

"Hm." Ossie said, stroking his otter whiskers. "You're… improving, to say the least." He rose and began clearing the dishes. "Newt had you draw the boy you hit yesterday. He should be in your sketchbook."

"Thanks." I said, getting up. "I have some business to finish, though. I got a butt ton of orders to deliver and _two_ butt tons to make."

"That's a little dramatic, don't you think? Either way, take the girls and Newt. We need provisions." He said, walking into the cabin. "I'll make a list." He called.

"Okay." I called back, turning to the cabin as well.

Inside, the galley and our living quarters were smashed together into one room with a bunch of cloth curtains and paper folding dividers. The galley was simple, one wooden sink/basin piled high with dishes yet to be taken out to wash and a counter with a multitude of drawers to pack food in.

"I really need to clean out belowdecks, don't I?" I asked, looking out over the homely chaos.

"It would give us some breathing room." Ossie agreed. "It's an absolute rooster pig sty in here."

"Speaking of rooster pigs, where are the little shits?" I asked, poking a lump of blankets where the two sisters usually slept. "I haven't seen 'em all morning."

"They went over to the dock master to ask where the pro-bending matches took place. My guess is that big golden palace down the shore a ways." He said, bored. He sighed, and looked ahead of himself wistfully. "This place is really something else."

"Yeah." I grumbled under my breath. "Something else." I cleared my throat and put my hands on my hips. "Got that list yet, Mollusk Muzzle?"

"Yes, yes." He said, snatching a scrap of paper that had been peeking out of one of the drawers. He grabbed one of the only pens on my ship and scrawled down supplies. "I'm sure you can haggle your way into most of these. The money from the deliveries should cover it."

"Got it." I nodded, taking the paper as he handed it to me.

"And don't forget to wear shoes this time. We don't want you getting a piece of glass in your heel." Ossie said.

"Alright, alright already." I said, grabbing my leather soled slippers.

I grabbed my metal delivery case and stuffed it into my thickly woven messenger bag. I also packed the girls' shoes, since I didn't want broken glass in _their_ feet either. On the way out the door, I slung the strap over my head to rest on my right shoulder, the bag resting on my left hip.

I found Newt on top of one of the railing rungs, curled up in a little sleeping ball, and scooped her up. She trilled softly, and slithered unto my shoulder, nestling against my neck. I walked over to the dock master's building and found Ren and Naomi sitting on the bench outside his door.

"Why the long faces, badger moles?" I asked, rummaging in my pack for their shoes.

"Thinking." Ren said, playing in the dirt with her toes.

"We wanted to go see the Fire Ferrets match, but it's sold out." Naomi pouted.

"I'm sorry." I said, feeling bad for not getting tickets earlier. "But there's always next time. I promise that I'll buy tickets for their next match."

"We won't be here that long." Ren sighed, disappointed. "This is the only match for weeks."

"I'm sorry." I said again, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "But hey, I have deliveries to make and groceries to get. We can go visit your mom between. Whaddya say?"

"Please, please, please! With cinnamon and nutmeg on top!" Naomi said, instantly happy and kicking her feet in excitement.

Ren beamed and jumped off the bench. "What're we waiting for!"

"Hold up, shoes first." I said, pulling out the footwear. "Ossie doesn't want us getting messed up feet."

Naomi grabbed her tiny pair or woven reed flip flops and Ren took her deep yellow sandals. Once Ren tied the loose strings together around her ankles, we headed out for the shopping district.

As we walked down the street, my two little crew mates kept running around, ogling shop windows and weaving through crowds in a game of tag. I kept them in sight, and pulled them away from curbs when the streets were congested with traffic. We made our way slowly but surely, until we finally arrived at the block or so of shops and open stalls in the business district.

"Okay. I've got to handle business. You can look through the shops, but don't break anything and don't annoy the owners." I ordered. "Best behavior, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." They both said, running over to the toy store.

"Meet up at the police station if we get separated!" I called.

"Okay!" Ren yelled, waving a hand over her head.

I let out an exhausted sigh. Newt chirped into consciousness and licked my cheek. "Yeah. I worry about them, too."

I walked down the street and stopped at the shops that had ordered my wares. I was paid on the spot and the female customers all gushed about my craftsmanship. _Pfft, please. I'm nothing special,_ I would think, but I always gave them a polite smile and bow. Once the deliveries were done, I sold whatever I had to left to whoever wanted to buy them. Their were more couples in the crowd, so I sold a lot of rings and earrings to gentlemen buying gifts for their girlfriends.

"Aw, spring. Season of love." I said to myself, leaning against the wall of an antiques shop. Newt trilled and rubbed her chin against my cheek. "Yeah, yeah. Let's round up the girls and grab something to eat."

I walked back over to the toy store, which was in it's busy time of the day: late afternoon when all the rich kids got out of school. Inside, it was bustling with boys with detailed wooden swords and wind up tops, girls with dolls and anything even remotely cute to show off to their friends.

"Ink, over here!" Ren cried, jumping up and waving both of her arms over her head.

I smiled and wove my way through the crowds of children. Ren was holding Naomi's hand tightly, afraid she'd lose her sister to the masses, and Naomi was clutching a tiny metal wind-up badgermole.

"Can I buy this?" Naomi asked, holding it out in front of her.

"How much is it?" I asked, checking the price tag. "Uh, maybe next time, sweetie. We don't have enough money for this _and_ supplies."

Naomi pouted, but nodded in understanding. She placed the toy on one of the shelves, where it was immediately snatched up by a boy, who ran to tell his friends about his find. Naomi looked pained, like she just lost a friend. I felt miserable and inadequate.

"Hey, cheer up." Ren smiled ay her sister, wrapping an arm around her neck. "We'll go see Mom and eat lunch with her. Maybe even play in the park."

I smiled and held out my hands. "What're we waiting for?"

Naomi beamed and dragged me out the door, Ren being dragged out by me. But even when we were on the street and moving, I couldn't shake the feeling of not having done enough. I scooped Naomi up in my arms and hugged her.

"I'm sorry about the toy, honey." I mumbled into her hair.

"It's okay. I've got Newt to play with!" She exclaimed as the astral newt floated in front of her. They both made funny face at each other, which made me chuckle under my breath as I watched from over my shoulder.

"Come on." Ren said, yanking on my arm. "We're gonna miss the tram if you two keep dragging your feet."

"I'm not dragging anything!" Naomi said, pointing an angry finger at her sister.

"You still slow us down. You have short legs." Ren retorted, sticking out her tongue.

"Say that again, you lily-livered coward!" Naomi shrieked.

"SHORTIE!" Ren yelled.

"GIRLS!" I exclaimed, ending the squabble. "Let's just catch the tram _without_ giving each other black eyes."

They both huffed in forced agreement, but they were smiling after a few minutes and silly expressions from Newt.

* * *

"There it is! There it is!" Ren exclaimed, jumping from one foot to the other and tugging gently on my arm.

Naomi rode on my shoulders, her hands covering the top of my head in awe of the magnificence of the station. This was their first time visiting their mother at work.

"Wow!" Naomi breathed as we walked up the steps of the police station. "Cap'n Ink, who's that lady up there?" She pointed to the huge statue of Toph watching over the streets.

"That's your grandmother." I said. "She was the greatest earthbender in history."

"Wasn't she blind?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make her any less great. She _invented_ metalbending. When she was _twelve_!" I told them.

"Wow!" Naomi said, her voice filled with wonder. "I wanna be just like her when I grow up."

I lifted her up and off my head, placing her next to me so that she could run around the lobby with her sister. I walked over to the front desk, where a familiar face was looking over some paperwork.

"What up, Saikhan?" I asked, placing both elbows on the counter and resting my chin on my knuckles.

"Ma'am, please refrain from-" He turned away from his work to lecture me, but instead stared, trying to remember where he'd met me before.

"Come on, Metal Head." I sighed. "Oh! Maybe this'll help!"

I grinned impishly, sticking up both of my middle fingers at him.

His face turned red with anger and his eyes gleamed with recognition. "INKARA!" He roared.

"Good to see you again, Saik-y." I blurted quickly, hurriedly scooping up Ren and Naomi and jogging toward the hall. "I'mma just go see if Ma's in. Okay, later, bye!"

"Wha-Wait!"

I ran down the hall before he could catch me.

"YOU CAN'T JUST GO WHERE YOU PLEASE!" He yelled after us.

"Watch me!" I yelled back, running around a corner.

Once we were out of sight, I put the girls down and we hurriedly jogged down the hall, looking for one specific office. Ren was the first to find it.

"MOM!" She shouted running through a doorway.

Naomi ran ahead of me and followed her sister, shouting the same thing. As I got closer, I could hear my old mentor's voice.

"Ren? Naomi?" She asked, bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you happy to see us?" Ren asked, worried.

"Overjoyed." Their mother chuckled. "But I thought you were staying with-"

"Me?" I finished, peeking in from the doorjamb and smiling, pointing at my face.

"Ink!" Chief of Police Lin Bei Fong smiled, rising from her chair with Naomi in her arms. "I didn't know you were coming to the city."

"Pfft, duh." I chuckled. "That would ruin the surprise."

"Have you eaten lunch yet, Mom?" Ren asked, holding her mother's hand.

"No, I've been swamped with work." She sighed, but smiled at her daughters. "But I suppose I can spare an hour or two."

"Yay!" Naomi cheered.

"Why don't the two of you go ask Captain Saikhan for a map and we'll look for a place to eat." Lin smiled, putting her youngest daughter down.

"Sure!" Ren said, grabbing Naomi's hand and running out the door.

Once they were gone, Lin turned to me with a steely gaze. It was very menacing with the two scars on her right cheek and the full metal suit. "Why did you bring them here? You know why I left them with their father on Ember Island."

"Hey, give me a break." I said, plopping down in one of the chairs. "Their dad just died and they wanted to see their mother. I had a boat, you told them to find me, the rest is history."

Lin sighed. "I'm glad to see them, but work is so hectic right now."

"Yeah, heard about the whole Equalist uprising and downfall on the radio. But don't worry about it. As long as they get to see you, whether it's for an hour or less, they'll be happy." I said, patting her arm. "I've been keeping them distracted with all the work I've been giving them."

"So they're doing alright?" Lin against, sitting on the edge of her desk. "Eating healthy everyday, studying, haven't broken any bones."

"Look at you, all Mama Platypus Bear." I smiled. "The great Iron Lady, Lin Bei Fong, worrying about her kids eating right."

She punched my shoulder lightly. "I had you to practice with." Her smile slowly faded. "How are you? I know Zane was like a father to you."

"More of a close uncle, really." I sighed. "I miss him, but I know he would've wanted me to keep smiling. Same for Ren and Naomi." I looked at her from the corner of my eyes. "How are _you_ handling the news?"

"I got the telegram last week." Lin sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. I could tell she was trying not to break down, that she hadn't yet. But the toll of losing one of the only men she loved and cared for was beginning to show. "I've been engrossing myself in work."

"Yeah…" I said halfheartedly. "Hey, let's go make sure those hog monkeys haven't gotten arrested."

Lin smiled at me and got to her feet. I followed her out the door.


	5. Late Night Noodles

**Alright, I got the inspiration for scene with Bolin and the girls from the Bolin comic: Little Fan by the amazing lledra on deviantart. I'll give her most of the credit, I just changed some of the dialogue and the ending a bit, but check out the comic. Very heart warming.**

**And 7 Phoenix Wings pointed out that Ink curses a lot in front of a 5 and 7 year old and that, I have to admit, isn't normal. But then again, Inkara is far from normal and I wanted to explain a little bit why. Wings is a great editor, by the way, helped me with some of the flaws in my other story and I really appreciate the help.**

**Read and review!**

* * *

**Late Night Noodles**

Naomi had wanted to go to the park for lunch and Ren suggested we have a picnic. Lin wasn't opposed to the idea and I just wanted food. So we ended up sprawled out on a blanket in the middle of a grassy lawn, overlooking the serene landscape of the park. The girls had found a group of kids to play with and ran around near the fountain.

"Son of a Bitch!" I cursed, wiping food crumples off my shirt.

"Hey. Little ears." Lin chastised.

"Sorry." I shrugged. "It's not like they're picking up any of it."

"You wanna go, motherfucker!" We heard Naomi yell at a little boy, standing on the fountain wall with hands crossed in a threatening manner. She looked a lot like her grandmother's statue.

Lin gave me a 'you were saying?' look and I stuffed my face with Fire Wontons.

"Where did you learn such sailor talk anyway?" Lin asked.

"My older brothers cursed around me all the time. Grew up in a sailing family full of ocean salted men and all. I didn't really mind. My dad told me I had to be a grown-up before I could curse." I shrugged. "But I'll tone it down in front of the little sea urchins."

"Thank you." Lin chuckled. She smiled lovingly at her daughters. "Naomi reminds me so much of my mother."

"Ren reminds me of Zane." I laughed. "Quiet contemplation, but if something gets her amped up, she's all fireworks and adrenaline."

Lin laughed, the sound of the cities main clock chiming over the last half of it. She looked up at the time and frowned.

"I have to get back to work." She sighed.

"Okay. Free tomorrow?" I asked.

"Maybe." She answered halfheartedly.

"Then it's a lunch date." I smiled. "I gotta go grab groceries anyway."

Lin nodded and stood, slowly walking over to her children to wish them a good afternoon and how she'll see them tomorrow. I stood to clean the picnic up, throwing the paper boxes into the trash and folding up the blanket and draping it over my arm.

"Oh, hey Chief!" I called, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Do you think you can get us tickets to the Fire Ferrets match tonight?"

"I'll see what I can do!" She called back in the same manner.

"Really?" Ren's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Sweet!" Naomi pumped a fist in the air. "Awesome!"

"Best mom in the world!" Ren commented, tackling her mom in a hug.

Lin smiled and picked both of them up into a bear hug. When she put them down, she ruffled Ren's hair and started back to the station. Both sisters looked a little sorrowful as she walked away. I wasn't feeling so chipper myself, but I had to put on a smile for their sake.

"Okay, hog monkeys." I said, walking toward them while stuffing the blanket into my pack. "Time to go get groceries."

* * *

Lin walked with heavy feet through the office. Seeing her girls made her feel happier, but leaving was saddening. She hardly got to see them, only once a year, because of her work. Too many enemies to keep two growing girls safe from. She remembered her own childhood, growing up with the threat of being used against her mother. It had never happened, but she had always been afraid to put the ones she loved in danger. Zane had understood, but now that he was gone, she didn't feel quite as reassured of her family's safety. Not that Ink couldn't handle a few thugs, but Lin was afraid that Ink would go overboard and hurt herself. She had done it before.

On her way back to her office, she ran into Mako. "Oh, Mako. Is it already time for your shift?"

"Yep." He nodded. "Looks like I'll miss my baby brother's first match of the season." He shrugged. "Hopes he's feeling better."

"Hm." She nodded, thinking back to Inkara's request. "By any chance, would he have any spare tickets?"

"Huh?" Mako asked, surprised. "Why?"

"My… friend wanted to go see the match tonight, but it seems it's sold out." Lin said.

Mako smiled. He had no idea that the Chief was a pro-bending fan. But then again, she did convince the Council not to close down the arena that one time. And she loved fighting, from what the other officers had told him. "I'll see if Bo has any extra."

"Thank you. Now, get to work." She said firmly.

* * *

I got a call from Lin an hour or so after we got back, the dock master walking all the way out to tell me I had a message. I hurried over, anticipating good news, but left heartbroken. As I walked back up the gangplank, Ren and Naomi greeted me with excited eyes.

"So?" Ren asked. "Did she get the tickets?"

"Yeah." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "One problem, though."

"What?" Naomi asked.

"There's only one." I sighed. "We all can't go. I asked your mom to hold the ticket until we work something out."

"Then none of us can go." Ren said, folding her arms. "If Naomi's no going, I'm not going."

"And I'm not going without Big Sis." Naomi said, crossing her arms defiantly.

"And I didn't want to go in the first place." I shrugged. "Guess we're having a quiet night at home."

"Man, and it's their first match in the season." Ren pouted.

"And I wanted to get the earthbender's autograph!" Naomi added.

"We might stick around for their second match." I said. "You never know how business is gonna go."

"I set my standards low." Ren said. "You never get disappointed if you don't aim high."

"Wow, Ren, way to make me feel like crap." I commented. "It's a pure joy to have you as a god-kid."

"Don't mention it." She smiled. "But really. We don't mind. We got to see Mom today. A match would have been icing on the cake."

"Mmmm, cake." I said, dreamily rubbing my stomach. "Wanna go out for some later?"

"Maybe, but shouldn't you call Mom back?" Ren said. "Tell her that we can't go or something."

"Right, right." I nodded, walking back down the gangplank. "Ask Oswald what he wants for dinner tonight. I feel like cooking."

"Okay." Ren replied.

* * *

Ren waited until Inkara was out of sight, then double checked to make sure Newt and Ossie weren't eavesdropping. She turned to Naomi with a mischievous grin. "Hey, you still want that Fire Ferret's autograph?"

* * *

The ship dock was quiet, every sailor and cabin boy tucked away earlier so they could rise the next morning with enough energy to work through the day. The _Unagi_ was no different. The cabin was dark and the sounds of snoring and the waves lapping against the hull echoed through.

One set of golden eyes blinked, shining against the darkness, no trace of sleep evident in their irises. They moved across space, finally stopping above a bundle of blankets, where a small earthbender slept.

"Naomi." Ren whispered, nudging her sister awake.

"Wha?" The half asleep toddler groaned.

"Shhh. Ink'll hear you." Ren hissed. To punctuate her statement, the young ship captain snorted loudly, then rolled over so that her back was to them.

"We really breaking curfew?" Naomi whispered, excitement edging her inquiry.

"Yeah. We'll miss the match, but I hear that the benders meet their fans afterwards." Ren explained quietly. "The match should just be starting soon. I wanna be there first."

"But how are we gonna sneak past Newt?" Naomi asked, slowly removing the blankets.

"We'll use the porthole." Ren said, pointing to the circular window above their heads. "She can't sense movement through windows. And if we just jump to the dock, she can't tell when we use the gangplank."

"You're really smart, Ren." Naomi praised.

"Simple logic." She told her younger sister. "You'll learn it when you're older. Now hurry up and get dressed."

* * *

The two sneaks stood outside the doors to the arena, a large group of fangirls standing around them and talking about the match.

"It's a shame they lost. Bolin is such a hottie!" One girl said.

"I heard his a sweetheart, too." Another young lady squealed.

"Like, oh my spirits, I love him so much."

Ren looked at her sister and chuckled. "A little obsessed, don't you think?" She whispered so the older girls didn't hear.

"Do they even care how strong he is?" Naomi asked.

Ren shrugged. "What are you gonna get autographed?"

Naomi rummaged in her pocket and pulled out two slips of paper. "I'm gonna have him sign this, then I'm gonna give him this!"

Ren took the slips of paper from her hands and opened the first. It was the pro-bending leaflet their dad had kept from the first match he had ever seen: the Ba Sing Se Bears vs. The Ember Island Eel Hounds. Ren smiled as the memories of their dad's overzealous love for the game.

"You really want him to sign this?" Ren asked.

"The Fire Ferrets were dad's favorite team. Even before the Avatar joined." Naomi smiled. "Dad would have wanted him to sign it as well."

Ren smiled warmly at her sister. "Yeah, he would have." She opened the other folded piece of paper. "What is this?"

"I tried drawing something." Naomi said defensively, snatching the papers back. "I'm not very good yet."

"You used Ink's colors?" Ren asked. "You know she's gonna find out it was you."

"I didn't break any this time." Naomi pouted. "And I made it with colors she doesn't use a lot."

Ren chuckled and ruffled her sister's hair. "I'm sure Bolin will love it."

"There he is!" One fangirl squealed.

The young ladies flocked to their idol, crowding him and asking absurd questions. Ren and Naomi held back, the fear of being trampled in the mess of hormones and skirts keeping them at bay.

"Ladies, ladies, one at a time." The pro-bender smiled.

Naomi frowned and looked down at her drawing. "How am I ever going to give this to him?"

Ren looked at her sister thoughtfully. "Maybe we can get those girls away from him."

"That's impossible." Naomi pointed out, putting her hands on her hips. "They're stuck to him like elbow leeches."

"Then we get his attention." Ren smiled, squatting. "Hop on my back."

Naomi giggled and climbed onto her sister's back. It wasn't much of a difference in height, but she was able to wave her arms in an attempt to catch his eye. When he did notice them, he smiled and waved back. The other girls followed his gaze and a few of them glared with disdain.

"Who let 'them' in?" One girl muttered.

"Don't they have a place to put street kids?" Another commented.

Naomi frowned and crawled off her sister's back. Ren put an arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"They don't know us." Ren whispered. "Who cares-"

"Hey, stop it." The pro-bender said, frowning at the harem and breaking away from them to walk toward the sisters.

"But-"

"But nothing. Homeless kids have enough to worry about besides people like you treating them like garbage." Bolin said, still walking toward the little fans.

"We didn't mean to imply-"

"Oh, you both implied." Bolin said, kneeling down to meet Ren and Naomi at eye level. He smiled at them warmly. "'Sup."

"Nice to meet you." Ren said, a little uneasy with newfound respect for him for the way he had defended them. "Sorry to hear you lost your match."

"Yeah, me too." He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Did you guys want to ask me something?"

"My sister did." Ren said, giving Naomi a gentle push.

She looked back at her sister nervously, then back to the pro-bender. "C-Can you sign this?" She thrusted the leaflet at him and he took it gently from her.

"Hey, I remember this match." He smiled, he looked up at Naomi. "Weren't you a little young to see this?"

"It was our dad's first match. He kept that to remember." Naomi explained. "He'd want a Fire Ferret to sign it."

"Really?" Bolin smiled. "I guess I'll have to win my next match for him then."

Naomi's face lit up. "You would do that! I'll make sure he watches over the game."

Bolin gave her a perplexed look, but one glance at Ren told him the story. Their dad wasn't here anymore.

"Thanks." Bolin smiled. "I hope he gives me a push in the right direction."

"You kidding?" Ren laughed. "You were our dad's favorite team."

"I appreciate it." He smiled. "Either of you have a pen?" The two girls checked their pockets, but came up empty handed. Bolin turned to the still lingering fangirls. "Hey, any of you got a pen."

One girl walked over and handed him one, smiling apologetically, then backing away slowly with a mournful look on her face. Bolin signed the leaflet and handed it back to his little fan.

"Thanks, Mister Bolin!" Naomi smiled.

Ren nudged her shoulder and muttered. "Your drawing."

"Oh, right. I wanted to give you this!" Naomi said, giving him the other piece of paper.

Bolin looked it over and felt the corners of his eyes fill with tears. "This is great." He smiled at her. "What's your name?"

Naomi smiled. "I'm-" Her and Ren's stomachs growled loudly, cutting her off. They blushed and Naomi scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Sorry. Guess I didn't eat enough soup for dinner." Ren shrugged. "I'm Ren. This is Naomi."

Bolin chuckled. "Nice to meet you. I'm pretty hungry myself. Wanna grab some noodles with me? My treat."

Naomi and Ren lit up. "Sure!"

Bolin smiled and straightened, then led the little girls out of the building. Ren grabbed Naomi's hand and followed the pro-bender out the doors. Naomi gave the fangirls one last glance, shooting a silly face face at them in revenge.


	6. Witching Hour

**Okay, here's another chapter. Don't really know what to say on it, other than the astral newt thing will be explained sometime later. Maybe in a side chapter.**

**Either way, read and review!**

* * *

**Witching Hour**

I woke up in the dead of night, darkness shrouding me, with an unnatural chill. The cabin was never this cold at night. I sat up in my hammock and pulled my fur blanket tighter around myself.

"Os?" I asked groggily, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dim. "Hey, Os. You awake?"

There was a long yawn and a crash as something fell to the ground. "Ugh. Now I am." The talking otter answered.

"Hey. You leave the door open or some-" I caught sight of the moonlight streaming through the open porthole above Naomi's empty bed. I whirled around to see that Ren's loft was empty as well. "Where are the girls." I demanded.

"What?" I could hear Oswald shoot to his feet.

"NEWT!" I yelled.

The astral entity swirled into my sight, nearly completely camouflaged by the night if she hadn't been glowing a bright shade of Panic Yellow. She trilled and chirped, frantic and confused.

"What do you mean you don't know where they went?" I asked, panic rising in my chest almost as vibrant as Newt.

She turned red and growled, trilling loudly.

"So they were suddenly on deck, then you lost them?" I asked, looking back to the porthole and immediately understanding how they bypassed Newt's vision. "Goddammit, Ren. Sometimes you're too smart for your own fucking good."

I leapt out of bed, which was not graceful in the least considering how tangled one can get their foot in a hammock. I grabbed my clothes and shoes, hurriedly pulling them onto my body, and stumbled out the door.

"Os, wait here. If they come back, tie them to the mast." I ordered. "Newt, you're with me."

She trilled and raced ahead of me.

"Where are you going?" Oswald called. "Should I call Lin?"

"The Pro-bending arena! And wait two hours before calling Lin." I ordered over my shoulder. "If we're not back by then, panic!"

"I already am!"

* * *

Ren and Naomi laughed as Bolin stuck his chopstick into his nose and pretended to be a tiger walrus. Neither party could remember when they had laughed so much.

"Mister Bo, you're funny." Naomi giggled.

"Thank you, Naomi." He smiled. "I try."

"This is really good." Ren said through a mouthful of Water Tribe noodles. "Almost better than Ink's seafood stew."

"Ink?" Bolin asked, taking the chopsticks out of his nostrils. "You call your mom by her first name?"

"Ink's not our mom." Naomi said with a confused expression, standing on the chair so that she could eat. "She's our captain."

"We live on her boat with her." Ren said. "We should be getting home soon before she starts panicking."

"I'll walk you." Bolin said, slurping up a mouthful of noodles. "The streets aren't safe at night. Especially for two little girls."

"Thank you, Mister Bolin." Ren bowed her head.

"Don't mention it." Bo smiled. "Food always tastes better with company."

"You sure got that right!" Naomi said, guzzling down her noodles hastily. "I like Water Tribe food!"

Ren laughed at her sister. "We should ask Ink to make some. She should know how."

"Well, eat up. We gotta get you back to bed soon." Bolin said.

"Yes, sir." They replied, slurping up their noodles.

When they finished eating, Bolin paid the bill and the three of them walked out into the cool night air. Naomi shivered and Ren wrapped her arms around her shoulders to warm her, a tiny puff of fire escaping her lips.

"You're a firebender?" Bolin asked.

"Yep. Naomi's an earthbender." She smiled. "Isn't your brother a firebender?"

"Yep." Bolin agreed. "Joined the police force a few months ago."

"He's not a Fire Ferret anymore?" Naomi asked.

"Neither is Korra." Bolin shrugged, trying not to show how saddened he was by the fact that his teammates were no longer his teammates. And that thought brought up the painful fact that his brother was dating his dream girl. But he couldn't really hate them for breaking his heart, they were perfect and happy together. "As long as they're happy, I'm happy."

"Who's happy?" Naomi asked. "Avatar Korra? We met her the other day. She came to pick up the guy we hit with our boat."

"What?" Bolin chuckled.

"Yeah, now that I remember, that guy Ink said she was dating was named Mako, too." Ren said, rubbing her chin in thought.

"I was hit by a boat a few days ago." Bolin said, suddenly stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "Could you be the guys that hit me?"

"Sorry." They shrugged.

"Cap'n Ink did say you came out of nowhere." Naomi laughed.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Ren asked.

"Nope. Just a sore back, but relatively okay." He smirked.

A Satomobile unexpectedly screeched to a stop next to them, a pair of unfamiliar men driving. The driver got out, wearing Agni Kai colors, his buddy walking around, dressed in Crimson Tide clothes.

_Triads_. Bolin thought, pushing the girls gently behind him.

"What's shaking?" The firebender asked, smirking.

"We're just heading home for dinner. Our parents are expecting us." Bolin smiled nervously.

"Really now?" The firebender asked, his voice sickly sweet. "Seems me and buddy here got a little lost on our way home, too. Give you a lift?"

"It's not far." Bolin said, the girls pressing themselves closer to him.

"Then would you mind giving us directions, pal?" The firebender asked, annoyance barely detectable in his tone.

"Sure." Bolin answered, still uneasy. "Where do you need to go?"

"I got this map here." The waterbender said, waving a piece of paper in the air. "Could you point out where we are?"

Bolin hesitantly walked over, the girls huddled together, rooted to the spot in anxiety. He smoothed the map over the hood of the Satomobile and looked it over.

"We're right-"

"Mister-"

Everything happened too fast. Bolin felt a cloth go over his mouth, breathed in something pungent, and the arms of the Triads wrap around his torso and lock, forcing him to breath more of the awful smelling gas. He watched in horror as the girls tried to fight back, but were easily over taken and subdued.

Then his head felt light and his body heavy. The last thing he remembered was the map racing dangerously for his face. Or was that him?

* * *

I ran inside the pro-bending arena and found the ticket booth. The man inside was just closing shop when I caught him.

"Hey, you see two little girls around here?" I asked frantically. "One with really short hair and the other just short? They're about this tall, black hair. They'd be together."

"Ain't see no kids come in, miss." The man sleepily replied.

"Is the match still going on?"

"Ended two hours ago, miss." The ticket man answered. "All the benders left and the families went home. Might be a couple of fans waiting inside, though."

"Thank you." I bowed hastily. _Two hours? They should have been home if it ended _**_two hours_**_ ago._

I sprinted deeper into the building, Newt flying next to my ear, until I found a few girls idling around a locker room door. They were pretty dressed up for a match and a few had signed pro-bender uniform shirts on. _Those must be the fans_. I briskly walked over.

"Um, hey, any of you girls seen two little kids? About this tall?" I gestured to my hip for reference. "One's got really short hair, the other probably not wearing any shoes?"

"Oh! I think I've seen 'em." One girl said, raising her hand.

"Really?" I asked, relief spreading through my veins.

"Yeah. The littlest had Bolin sign something." She said. "A leaflet?"

"That's them!" I cried, overjoyed. "Did you see where they went?"

"Yeah, Bolin took them out to dinner." Another snorted. "Lucky."

"And where would that be?" I asked. "Does this Bolin guy have any regular places?"

"I always see him down at Narook's." The first girl answered. "He loves the noodles there."

"Where's that?" I asked.

"It's down Arnook Alley." The second girl said. "Bottom floor, green sliding door. Can't miss it."

"Thank you very much." I bowed at the waist deeply, then turned back toward the entrance and ran.

Newt trilled nervously next to me.

"Yeah, I know." I said, panting. "I hope they're alright, too."

* * *

At Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, green sliding door just like the fangirl had said, I questioned the bartender at the back if he'd seen the guy Ren and Naomi left with.

"You just missed him. He left about a half an hour ago." He replied, cleaning a glass. "Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you." I said, feeling icy fear creep up my spine.

I bowed my head and left, standing in front of the restaurant door with no idea where to look next. Newt trilled softly next to me.

"Is there any possible way you can do an aura trace on them?" I asked her. "I know it's bee a while since they left and this is a pretty busy place."

She turned orange with pride and nuzzled my hand open. I had only done an aura trace once in my life, when I had lost my way in the city and needed to get back to Lin's apartment. I closed my eyes and concentrated, rubbing the fingers of my other hand against Newt's head to form a link.

I felt myself entire the energy world and opened my eyes, watching as colored wisps of past customers walk straight through me to get into Narook's.

"Newt, we need to fast forward through all this." I said, my voice wispily echoing against the vast plane.

She trilled, irritated, but the visions of past customers sped up until eventually…

"Stop, stop." I cried, the wisps of Naomi (glowing a dark green) and Ren (a vibrant red) coming into view, accompanied with a young man with eyebrows like mammoth caterpillars (his aura was a light shade of green). "There! Lock onto them!"

She chirped, annoyed.

"Right, right. Only one." I nodded. "Tag Ren. She'll be with Naomi no matter what."

Newt's eyes opened for the first time since the start of our trace, the entirety of each orb glowing golden as she traced the energy of Ren. A tiny speck of gold forming in her crimson aura.

"Trace complete." I sighed, blinking back into the real world. I always saw doubles after coming out of the energy world.

Newt spiraled into the air and chirped excitedly, then flew down the street toward Ren. I followed, keeping pace with my astral newt.


	7. Con-Bending

**Ohhh, double upload. I was gonna combine this chapter with the previous one, but I thought it would be too long.**

**Read and review!**

* * *

**Con-Bending**

Bolin woke up to grainy concrete against his face and something itchy around his arms. He sat up, realized his was tied up, and looked around the unfamiliar room with half his conscious. It was spacious, but only one hanging light above his head lit the room. There were windows, but they were covered in dust and very high up, higher than the lampshade.

"Where?" He gurgled.

"Oh, look, the boyfriend's finally up." A young woman playing with a knife said, wearing earthbender green. "Can I get to hurting him now, Miki?"

"Wait til the Boss gets back, Shirshu." The firebender that had asked for directions said. "You knows he's gotta look over everything twice."

"Then can I at least play with the little dolls?" The girl named Shirshu said. "You weren't meaning to snatch them up anyway."

Bolin looked to his right and his heart nearly stopped. Ren and Naomi were tied up too, gags in their mouths. They didn't look all that scared, but Bolin still panicked.

"Not til the Boss gets here." Miki the firebender spat.

"Well, aren't you the little panda pug pup." Shirshu teased. "You follow Penza wherever he goes?"

Miki threw a fan of flames at her. "Shut up! If you wanna get another lesson from the Boss, be my guest."

Shirshu smiled and twirled over to Naomi. "Hey, Doll Face. Aren't you just the cutest little thing?" She pressed her knife threateningly against her cheek. "I don't like _cute_."

Ren vehemently tried to undo the ropes around her, struggling against the twine, to get to her little sister.

"Oh, aren't you brave." Shirshu cooed, the knife still pressed against Naomi's cheek. "This your baby sister? Don't worry. I'll play with you next."

"Leave them alone." Bolin said firmly, glaring at her. "They have nothing to do with this. Whatever this is."

A door in the back burst open, hitting the wall with a loud slam. "Shirshu!" An angry, booming voice demanded. "What did I tell you about damaging the merchandise."

"Don't get your fedora in a wad, Penza." Shirshu sighed, straightening and finally lifting the knife from Naomi's skin. "I was just having a little fun."

"Then go play mahjong." The man named Penza retorted, coming closer to the light. He wore dark pants, a black long coat, and red button vest. He was menacing, but younger than Bolin had thought.

"Who are you?" Bo demanded. "Why are we here?"

Penza stared at him, a look of disdain and anger slowly spreading across his face. "Dammit, Miki! You grabbed the wrong brother!"

"What?" Captor and victim asked in unison.

"But you said the Avatar's boy was a pro-bender for the Fire Ferrets." Miki hastily argued. "This guy's a Fire Ferret."

"This is the fat one, it's the firebending one we want." Penza argued. "You better hope Nadia held up her end of the plan."

"Wait a second." Bolin frowned. "You're after Mako? What do you want with my brother?"

"Ransom, Handsome." Shirshu smiled sweetly at him. "We'd make big bucks from the Avatar for your brother. You, not so much."

"Hm. Maybe not." Miki said, stroking his chin. "We'd get mass respect for taking a police officer's bro."

"Wow! You're right!" Shirshu smiled, taking Bolin's chin in her hand. "Maybe you'll be useful after all, Handsome."

Naomi shook her head, trying to get the female thug's attention. When she did catch on to the signals, she scowled at the little girl.

"What do you want, Shrimp?" Shirshu asked. "Have something to say?" Naomi nodded. Shirshu snorted and pulled the gag out of her mouth."Whaddya want, Cutie Pie?"

"You're really unattractive." Naomi said bluntly.

The comment was so unexpected that nobody moved, they only stared at the little girl. Then Miki started laughing uncontrollably, Penza joining him.

"I like this kid." Penza chuckled.

"Yeah, real eye for detail." Miki chortled.

"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU TWO!" Shirshu yelled, punching Miki in the jaw and sending him toppling over a stack of wooden crates. She whirled back around to glare at Naomi. "First thing I'm cutting are those pretty little lips of yours, Baby Doll."

"Can I use them to say a few more things?" Naomi asked. "It won't be mean, promise."

"Shirshu, let the kid talk. You might get a laugh out of her this time." Penza said, wiping a few tears away.

"Whatever." Shirshu grumbled, seating herself on the hood of the car. "As long as I still get to slice up the little brat."

"Don't mind, Shirshu, Baby Doll. What were you gonna say?" Penza asked.

"First of all, I'm not short. I'm still growing." She pointed out, knitting her eyebrows together. "Second of all, who's Miss Nadia? And what's your plan?"

"Heh." Penza chuckled. "Might as well tell a dying man. See, we're a new gang, but we ain't got any respect on the streets yet."

Ren finally wiggled out of her gag and coughed. "So you planned to steal the Avatar's boyfriend in a misguided attempt to gain respect. 'Wow, those are the guys that got the Avatar's lover. They must be pretty badass', right?"

"Smart little fortune cookie, ain't ya?" Shirshu snorted.

"And this Nadia lady is either placing the ransom note as we speak, or you have some other dumb idea." Ren narrowed her eyes. "It's probably the latter."

"You talk a lot of big words, Owl Eyes." Another woman said, walking in with a bundle in her arms. She had perfectly straight hair, a blank expression on her face, and wore Water Tribe blue. "Who are the runts?"

"Doesn't matter." Penza huffed. "You get the babe?"

"I'm not carrying a loaf of bread, Penza." Nadia narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, let me see the little guy!" Shirshu said.

"Hell no." Nadia said, keeping her blank expression the entire time she spoke. "Little bundles of joy do not mix with crazy bitches like you."

Shirshu glared daggers at the waterbender. She knew she couldn't take her in a fight, but she wanted to try anyway.

"I'd put the baby down before you actually catch emotions, Nadia." Shirshu smirked.

"Maybe I should give him to you." Nadia smiled coldly. "You could catch it's cute."

Shirshu turned red, but one look from Penza kept her from jumping at the waterbender, caws at the ready.

"Put the baby in the cradle already." Miki said. "It'll wake up if you keep holding it."

"Whose baby is that?" Naomi asked.

"Councilman Tenzin's snot-nosed brat." Shirshu smirked at Naomi.

Bolin gasped. "You baby-napped Rohan! Are you crazy?"

"No, they're power hungry." Ren said. "Taking a councilman's baby was to show that they aren't afraid of the law. It's to prove how 'tough' they are. No one would want to mess with a group who isn't afraid of anything."

"Wow, kid's a genius." Miki said, scratching his forehead underneath his fedora. "Maybe we should keep her as a resource. Get her to think of new ways to get shit, like rob a bank."

"Ha, that'd put the Storm Bringers on top. Get a kid to tell us how to rob a bank." Shirshu snickered. "We'd be the laughing stock of the block."

"You really like to rhyme, don't you?" Naomi asked her.

"Shut up, Shrimp." Shirshu spat.

"I TOLD YOU I'M NOT SHORT!" Naomi raged.

"Shut up, both of you." Nadia sighed. "You'll wake the baby." She cooed, placing Rohan in the wooden cradle and caressing his head.

"Don't touch him!" Bolin shouted. "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, stealing an innocent baby!"

"You guys are the worst!" Naomi said.

"That's what we're aiming for, Baby Doll." Penza smirked.

"Flawless plan, I have to say." Ren said, nodding sympathetically.

"What?" Bolin and Naomi exclaimed.

"Than-"

"But you made one very grave error." Ren cut off. "You took my sister and I hostage."

"How's that an error?" Shirshu snorted. "Besides the fact we had to carry around extra weight?"

"You don't know our captain." Naomi smiled. "She's really scary when you piss her off."

"Captain?" Miki chuckled. "You live on a boat or something?"

"Yep." Naomi smiled. "Cap'n Ink's gonna put you guys six feet under the ground."

Something about the way the little girl had said those words without any doubt in her eyes. She was absolutely certain that her captain was going to come and rescue them. It sent a shiver down each Storm Bringer's spine.

"Hey, kid." Mike growled. "We got three of the toughest benders out front watching the place like falcon hawks. No one's getting in."

"Ha!" Naomi barked. "Only three?"

"You underestimate our Big Sis." Ren smiled smugly.

Nadia walked over to them, a look of ice cold hatred in her eyes. "You two are really starting to annoy me."

"Good." Naomi smiled.

Nadia raised her hand to smack the smile off Naomi's face, but something dark and slithering floated in front of her face. "Ew!" She shrieked, stumbling back a step. "What is that thing?"

"Newt!" Ren and Naomi beamed.

Miki raised an eyebrow "Wha-"

An animalistic roar ripped through the warehouse as something slid down the lampshade's electrical wire, ripping the bulb from it's stationary position. Whatever or whoever it was slammed into Miki, simultaneously sending the light swaying back and forth.

Bolin only saw glimpses of the battle before him as the light swung wildly around. Miki was punched someone, which punched back tenfold. Shirshu had leapt into the fray, only to be flung back against the car with such force that she dented the hood, slumping over in defeat with her knife rammed into the middle of her hand. Nadia send ice daggers blindly into the dark, only to be struck from behind several times and slumping to the ground, her element pooling around her. Penza sent flares of aggression at his foe, but soon a high-pitched scream of agony was heard, punctuated by the sickening sound of two pops.

When it was all over, the light stayed in it's dizzying course, but only one figure stood against the darkness. Wild brown hair enveloped her face. The bottom of her pants were stained brown from mud and dirty water. Their were bandages wrapped around all the way up to her elbows, stained a deep red at the knuckles. Her own face was bleeding, from the nose and a few thin scratches on her cheeks, but that didn't seem to bother her.

She turned to them with an aura of vengeance around her like a cloud of dark shadows. Stalking toward them, Bolin felt himself begin to tremble. _She's a war goddess!_ He couldn't take his eyes off her, no matter how much he wanted to.

She walked slowly closer and grabbed the lampshade, the light falling directly over her and casting devastating shadows across her battle face. She stood for a minute, motionless, before letting go of the light and raising her head. Bolin's breath caught in his throat.

_Such deep blue eyes._ She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, even when covered in blood. _There's no way she took down all those guys by herself. There's gotta be someone else._

"Newt." The goddess ordered calmly, clipping off the word curtly.

The black floating snake thing that had scared Nadia earlier trilled and saluted her, then swam through the air toward them. With a few quick movements, the ropes were cut and the three fo them were free.

"INK!" Naomi ran over to the warrior, grabbing her legs in a tight hug.

Ren did the same, wrapping her arms around her waist. "We're sorry."

In the blink of Bolin's eye, the all powerful warrior goddess crumpled away as she picked up her children and buried her face in their shoulders.

"You two are so grounded." She mumbled, her voice soft and weak.

Bolin felt like he was intruding, he twiddled with one end of a rope.

"We're going home."

That instantly snapped Bo out of his meekness. He stumbled to his feet and cleared his throat. "Um, uh, what about… I mean, what's your-?"

"You should bring the baby back to his mother." The heroine said, turning her back to him and heading for the back door, still carrying the little girls.

"Rohan!" Bolin gasped, momentarily forgetting the infant. He raced over and picked up the sleeping boy, cradling him gently in his strong arms.

"Don't use the front door either." The mysterious girl said from the door.

"Ok-Hey wait!" He jogged over to the backdoor, trying his best not to wake the baby.

Bolin walked out into the night air, and looked up and down the street, but the three girls had vanished out of thin air.

"What the-" Rohan whimpered and cuddled closer to Bolin's chest for warmth. He adjusted the baby's swaddling to keep the chill from waking him. "Let's get you back to Pema, okay?"


	8. Aftershock

**Okay, I said I'd get another chapter of Waywalker done, and it's in the works, I just wanted to finish up this whole kidnapping scene. I hope this isn't crappy, since it's all the original characters. I tried to pin point how they would react to this kind of situation, and I'm a little worried that I'm off.**

**Please read and review.**

**Thanks!**

* * *

**Aftershock**

Pema hadn't stopped crying since her baby was taken. Tenzin had immediately called Lin the moment they found the note. Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo had no idea what to do, they were in a state of shock. It was only made worse when Korra found the note about Mako. She and Tenzin had run all the way down to the station to look for him, only to find that he was perfectly safe. But then the three came to the realization that Bo hadn't come home yet. Mako was thrown into a blinded state of worry. He wanted his brother back and he wanted him safe.

Lin had received an anonymous tip about a few suspicious men waiting outside of a warehouse from an elderly man. Her, Mako, Korra, and Tenzin had raced over there, elements at the ready.

"When Saikhan opens the door…" Lin said, trailing off for the obvious.

Her officers nodded and Saikhan and his team counted to three before breaking down the doors. When they were down, everyone froze at the scene in front of them. Three men, naked and tied together, hung upside down from the rafters.

"Thank the spirits! It's the cops!" One burly thug cheered happily.

Tenzin felt the color drain from his face and Lin felt nauseous. Mako slapped a hand over Korra's eyes.

"Saikhan, get these criminals down." Lin ordered, hastily jogging past the men and into the back of the storage building. The other three followed, Mako's hand still over his girlfriend's eyes.

When they entered the storage room, the sight was even more puzzling. A young woman was indented into a Satomobile trying desperately to remove something from her hand, another woman was sprawled out on the ground in a puddle of water with darting eyes and the inability to move. One young man's face was so severely beaten that he couldn't up his eyes and his nose was severely broken. The fourth and final member of this beaten team was kneeling, his arms hanging limply at his sides.

"What in the world?" Tenzin breathed, then he saw the cradle and his heart dropped. Running as fast as an airbender could, he reached the empty cradle. He grabbed the wooden rail with white knuckles. "Where is my son?" He asked the girl on the Satomobile, paternal instinct dripping from his mouth.

"That psycho chick and that fat dude took him and the girls." She said, holding back sobs. "You gotta get this outta me, man. I can't feel my fingers!"

"What psycho chick?" Mako asked. "Did she take my brother?"

"What girls?" Lin asked, a cold realization beginning to creep into her mind.

"SHE DID THIS!" The girl blubbered. "We weren't even suppose to grab those little runts. They were with the pro-bender, but we weren't even suppose to have him!" She sobbed, giving up on releasing her hand. That's when they noticed that it was the hilt of a knife, the blade embedded deep into the palm. "She came outta nowhere! She had this crazy black salamander thing and just… demolished us! She even took down Nadia!" The hysterical girl pointed her free hand at the young lady in the puddle. "We didn't stand a chance!"

"Where did they go?" Lin demanded.

"I don't know. I don't know." The girl shook her head. "They went through the back and I don't know where they are."

"At least Bo's got Rohan." Korra reassured her airbending master. "They're safe."

"But where are they?"

* * *

Bolin stepped onto the dock at Air Temple Island and walked toward the main building. He hadn't really thought about anything as he walked to the docks near the arena. He kept replaying that one line over and over in his head. _You should bring the baby back to his mother._

When he caught sight of Pema, hunched over and distraught, he felt really sad and relieved. It was a strange feeling.

"Hey!" He called, waving his hand in the air.

She looked up instantly and started crying tears of overwhelming joy. Her three older children cheered when they saw the bundle in his hands as well. Bolin hurried over, Rohan was beginning to wake up.

"Here you go, Miss Pema." He said, handing the infant to his mother. She snatched him up hungrily, snuggling the baby close to make sure he was real.

"Thank you so much, Bolin!" She smiled, tears in her eyes. "You don't know how much I owe you. How did you escape? Are you alright?"

"It was really nothing." He shrugged. "I kinda walked out. Is Mako here?"

"They're out searching for you." Pema said, cuddling her baby.

"Yeah." Meelo said. "Dad was really worried."

"Korra thought Mako was the one kidnapped, but then we figured out it was you, and we got scared, but now you're here and safe, and we should tell Lin and Dad before they start turning the city over." Ikki said. "Will you tell us how you got away? Did you fight some bad guys? Were you scared? Rohan must have been, but he's a baby, soI don't know. I wish I could ask him."

"I should probably call Mako before this gets out of hand." Bolin said, dazed. "Do you mind if I use your telephone?"

* * *

When Lin received the call from Bolin, Mako rushed over to Air Temple Island, finding his brother perfectly safe and nibbling absently on a roll of bread.

"Bo! Where have you been?" Mako tackled his brother in a hug.

"Hey, Mako." Bo said, staring off into space.

"Bo?" Mako raised an eyebrow.

"He's been like this since he's gotten back." Jinora said, then addressed her father. "Rohan's in his crib and Mom's sleeping in the rocking chair."

"Thank you, Jinora." Tenzin rushed into the house.

Jinora turned back to Bolin with a concerned look in her eyes. Mako stared at his brother with silent panic. Bolin stared out into space, his mind still unable to process what just happened.

"Bolin." Lin said firmly, stepping in front of him.

"Wha?"

"Tomorrow morning you are to report to the precinct to give your report on the kidnapping." She said, narrowing her eyes at him. "You may also have to identify a few of your kidnappers as well."

"Hm? Okay." Bolin nodded.

"Good. Now go home and get some rest." Lin ordered. "I want you in my office first thing tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am." Bolin said, unfazed from his thoughts.

"Come on, Bo." Mako said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go home."

* * *

Lin had known who was behind the warehouse ambush the moment she saw those poor men hanging from the ceiling. Inkara was known for doing something embarrassing like that.

But when the young woman on the car had said she took little girls with her, Lin had barely contained herself. She was going to get to the bottom of this, and she was headed for the dock right now.


	9. Bars of All Kinds

**Read and review!**

* * *

**Bars of All Kinds**

The next morning was as cold as the night before. Not from the temperature, though, but because I was giving Ren and Naomi the iciest glare I could muster this early. They sat across the breakfast table and fiddled, nervous and dreading my punishment.

"One month, scullery duty." I said flatly, keeping my eyes locked on them.

Naomi nodded submissively but her sister had other thoughts.

"What!" Ren exclaimed. "That's unfair. Isn't being kidnapped enough of a punishment?"

"Unfair?" I shouted, incredulous. "What's _unfair_ is the fact that you worried Oswald, Newt, and I over something as trivial as an autograph."

Ren shot to her feet. "That wasn't trivial! And _you_ said we could go."

"_You_ said you didn't _want_ to go!" I shot back, jumping to my own feet.

"I didn't say I didn't want to go! I said I didn't want to go _without_ _Naomi_!" She countered, stomping her foot. "We both went!"

"And you both got kidnapped!" I argued. "You put yourself and your little sister's life at risk!"

"I can protect her!" She shouted back.

"Considering what happened last night, I beg to differ!" I said, jabbing a finger at her. "You're seven years old. You-"

"JUST BECAUSE I'M SMALL DOESN'T MEAN I'M WEAK!" She screamed in my face, having marched across the table.

I felt my own anger rise and screamed back, "THIS ISN'T ABOUT STRENGTH!" I took a deep breath and rubbed my forehead. "This is about responsibility and your lack there of." I looked at Ren with a hard glare. "You showed me that you have no sense of responsibility. So now, I have to put you under stricter rules."

"How can you make living on this boat any stricter?" Ren spat. "You hardly left us off the damn thing."

"Watch your mouth." I said. "And I can make your life a lot more restricted than you think."

"Oh yeah?" Ren egged on. "How? Gonna take away our bathroom breaks?"

I glared daggers at the little firebender. "NEWT!" I shouted, turning to the otherworldly amphibian. "I want this entire boat on lockdown. I want to know when every door, cabinet, _porthole_ opens and closes. I want every window bolted shut. Alert me whenever someone comes on and off this ship. Put traces on Naomi and Ren."

"What?" Ren exclaimed.

"You too won't be able to eat, sleep, pass gas, or scratch your butt without my supervision." I explained roughly. "You think you're a grown-up? Then I'm going to jail you like a grown-up." I took a deep breath, then yelled at the top of my lungs. "EITHER of you step one FOOT onto that dock and, I swear by the spirits, There. Will. Be. A. RECKONING!"

I walked over to the cabin door and grabbed my shoes and bag.

"Where are you going?" Ren asked, fury edging her voice.

"Thanks to you, I have to go turn myself in for aggravated assault." I said, marching down the gangplank with a huff. "OSWALD!"

"Yes, your captain-ly-ness." He bowed.

"I don't need sass from you." I pointedly said. "And I swear, if you get pushed around and let those girls of my ship, _you_ will be serving an even worse sentence." I took a deep breath. "Newt, keep an eye on them."

She trilled and saluted me, then I turned back to the city and started toward the precinct.

* * *

As soon as I stepped into the lobby, I shouted my confession for all the officers to hear. Saikhan was more than happy to throw me into a cell, more specifically the "kiddie pool" full of young adults and children who had done petty crimes. It was almost like throwing a viper shark in with the guppies.

"Don't cause any trouble." Saikhan grunted as he left.

"Me? Cause trouble?" I asked innocently.

He glared at me but said nothing. When he was out the door, I surveyed my new bunkmates: a group of young ladies in flapper dresses and one or two girls in factory clothes. There was even a middle-aged woman who sat stark still. Across the room, there was another cell full of guys ranging from musicians in suits to a young boy with dirty on his knees. A rather depressing turn out, if you asked me.

"So…" I said, looking over at the female guard on duty sitting at the desk against the wall, placed between the cells. "what did you guys do to get in here?"

"Illegal party." The flappers said, smiling, then started giggling among themselves.

"Pickpocket." Someone else answered.

"Tried to run over my husband with my car." The older woman said.

I whistled. "Slept with your best friend?"

"Sister." The woman narrowed her eyes at an unseen face.

"Even worse." I winced.

"You?" One of the flappers asked.

"Um… jaywalking." I lied, smiling sheepishly.

The guys laughed, except for the little boy, who was lost in thought.

"Hey, what's eating you, rascal?" I asked. "Girl troubles?"

He blushed a bright shade of red. "No!" He exclaimed defensively.

"Yes!" The entire room replied back.

"Oh, what's it to ya?" He shot back at all of us, clenching his fists. "Ain't nobody's business but mine."

"Oh come on, short stop." I smiled. "It's a long morning afore any of us get out." I giggled teasingly. "What? She older than you?"

"No." He pouted.

"Can't tell how you feel?" I asked. He didn't answer, which meant I hit the target. "Well why don't we help ya? Got the perfect think tank right in front of you."

"Yeah." The flappers giggled.

"I don't need any help." He whined.

"Come on, kid." One of the musicians nudged him with his elbow. "Birds of a feather, flock together."

"Fine." He grumbled. "Humor me. How do I get the girl to notice me?"

"Oh, you gotta make the mood, honey." One of the flappers smiled. "I ain't never gone to a party with a guy who didn't impress me."

"That's why you ain't never gone to a party with a fella." One of her friends teased.

They giggled and I had to talk over them. "Okay, so all you have to do is be impressive." I shrugged. "Doesn't seem to hard."

"How do you be impressive?" He asked.

"Can you play an instrument?" One musician asked.

"Nope."

"He doesn't have to play an instrument." One flapper argued.

That sparked a debate on whether a guy could be romantic if he didn't appreciate the qualities a song could bring to the mood. Meanwhile, I tried to think of a way to help little Lover Boy get his girl. _Hm, there's also what Ikano used to say…_

"Okay, got it!" I exclaimed triumphantly, smacking my fist into my other palm like a judge slammed his gavel.

"Whatcha got?" One of the musicians asked, eager.

"Okay. First step is to get the lady alone, maybe take a canoe ride in the river." I said.

"Oh, or a walk in the park!" A flapper squealed. "_Very_ romantic."

"Even better!" I beamed. "Okay, so take her for a walk in the park. Second step, get some mood music."

"Mood music?" The kid asked.

"Ambiance, kid." One musician explained, landing hard on his vowels. "Some guitar or flutes, real classy."

"Kuang's classy." The musician's friend chimed in.

"Yep. Gotta have music, setting, then all you gotta do is say a catch phrase. Something like…" I smiled, standing, "Here, will you be my partner?" I asked one of the flappers, extending a hand.

"Sure." She smiled, taking my offer.

I led her to the middle of the cell and put my hands on her shoulders. "Alright, you're the girl. I'm… what's your name?"

"Skoochy." The boy answered.

"Alright, I'm Skoochy. Listen close, kid." I said. "If you don't have setting or music, the _least_ you can do is say something unexpectedly breath-taking."

"Breath taking?"

"Watch." I took a deep breath. "You have to walk right up to this girl," I said, marching over to the flapper, "sweep her off her feet," I twirled the dancer into a dip, "and say, 'Hey, I dig you'." I flashed a smile.

The flapper blushed a little and giggled, which her friends giggled at as well.

Unexpectedly, there was a cough at the door, which caught everyone's attention. Lin was standing in the doorway, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Hey, Lin!" I smiled, then remembered I had a flapper in a dip and quickly set her back on her feet.

"I'm happy to see you're enjoying yourself, Ink." Lin droned out with little humor. "All of you are free to go." She unlocked the doors with her metalbending and all of us filed out of the room.

I tried to sneak past the chief in the crowd, but you can never fool a Beifong. She grabbed the back of my shirt and held me to the spot.

"We have a lot to discuss, young lady." Lin growled.

"Okay." I hung my head. Suddenly, I gasped loudly and pointed at the ceiling. "What in Aang's name is that!"

"Wha-"

Lin momentarily forgot about me to stare at the unthreatening ceiling. I used the chance to sprint down the hall toward my freedom.

I skidded to a stop in the lobby, fear driven adrenaline pumping through my veins. I spotted Saikhan talking to some guy in orange and red robes at the front desk and ran over, slamming my body against the counter to get his attention.

"Saik-y!" I cried, my arms stretched over the counter while the rest of my body hung feebly. "She's gonna kill me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"INKARA!" Lin roared, sliding into the lobby.

Saikhan and I screamed like little girls. I flipped over the counter and landed in his arms, hugging his neck out of fear. We were still screaming.

"Lin?" The man in the varying shades of orange and yellow asked.

"Tenzin?" Lin replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just-"

"Nevermind, I have more-" She blinked at Saikhan, who stared back in confusion, then looked down at his empty arms. "Where'd she go?"

I was nearly out the door undetected, but stupid vases on stupid tables could not take the sheer ferocity of my awesomeness and had to knock themselves over. Lin caught me trying to catch said stupid vase right in front of the doorway.

I smiled. "He he. Hey, Lin."

"Ink." She growled, her lip twitching. "Don't-"

I ran out the door, dropping the vase with a thunk, unharmed, on the ground. As I needed to cross the street and could not wait to look both ways, I screamed, "LUCKY CRICKET!", slapped my hands over my eyes, and ran across. I heard screeching tires, Lin yelling my name, then angry drivers cursing at me. I opened my eyes to find that I was completely unharmed and running through the park. I smiled to myself and pumped a fist into the air.

"Thanks, Rokin." I cheered.

I kept running until I got to the docks, where I literally ran into someone. We both tumbled to the ground, each trying to keep ourselves upright and failing. We landed with a thud, the person I ran into underneath while I slammed into them. It wasn't much better than hitting the ground myself.

"Ow!" I grumbled, pushing myself up.

"Ugh."

I brushed myself off as the young man stood, brushing himself off. He turned and I had the distinct impression that I knew him. But I didn't recognize his face. Maybe it was his mammoth caterpillar eyebrows.

"Sorry, man." I shrugged, walking around him. "Didn't mean to knock you over." He suddenly grabbed my arm and whirled me around. "What the hell, man?"

"You're the girl!" He smiled happily, shaking my shoulders.

"What girl?" I asked, confused. "Get _off_ me!" I shrugged her hands off and took a few steps back. "Look, buddy. I don't have the best of memory, so you're shit out of luck with whatever you want." I started walking toward my boat. "Sorry I couldn't help."

"But you did!" He said, jogging up to my right. "You-"

"Mr. Bolin!" Naomi squealed, her legs dangling over the side of the ship.

"What?" I asked, turning to the mystery man. "We've met?"

"Yeah, the other night." He smiled. "At the Storm Bringer's hideout."

The first thought that came to mind was that he was one of the Triads, and so, my first reaction was to punch him in the face, which I did. When my fist connected with his nose, I felt something pop. He lurched backward, caught off guard, and held his nose. When he didn't fall to the ground, what I was expecting him to do, I tackled him. I grabbed his collar and hoisted his head up so that I could punch him relentlessly, even had my fist raised in attack, but Ren grabbed my arm and Naomi jumped onto my back to lock her arms around my neck.

"Wait!" Ren shouted.

"He's not a kidnapper!" Naomi yelled.

"Then who-"

"He's the Fire Ferret we went to get the autograph from!" Ren explained. "He was kidnapped, too!"

"Oh." I said, dropping my hands.

"We also hit him with our boat!" Naomi added, sliding off my back.

"What!" I exclaimed, looking back down at him as he nodded enthusiastically. I winced, "Oh god, I punched you in the face, too," and helped him to his feet, still holding his nose. "Come on, I'll clean you up." I said, feeling very guilty.

"Thanks." He said as I led him on deck.

"Sit here." I sat him on one of the cushions at the table we never packed back into the cabin. "I'll be right back." I hurried into the cabin and found the first aid kit Oswald kept in the closet. I carried the dark wooden chest out and placed it on the table. "Move your hands."

When he did, I winced and hissed in sympathetic pain.

"Yeah, Pretty much sums up how I'm feeling." Eyebrows said, blinking hard. "Know a healer?"

"Not one close by." I said, gingerly pinching his nose. "This is gonna hurt."

"Wha-"

It wasn't very pleasant putting a broken nose back into place. There was a wet popping noise and more blood spilled out. He whimpered, determined not to scream, but his eyes began to water.

"Spirits!" He spat. "A little warning, next time?"

"You expect to get punched in the face again?" I asked, confused.

"No, I meant-"

I stuffed gauze under his nostrils, then told Naomi to go get a basin of clean water and a hand towel. I instructed him to hold the gauze until she got back.

"Erhu ah eel-er?" He asked, sounding funny with his nose plugged.

"A healer?" I asked, then shook my head. "No, I don't bend anymore."

"Ah-knee-mo?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as Naomi came back with the basin.

"Thank you, Naomi." I said, dousing the towel with water. I turned to Eyebrows. "You can put your hand down now."

He did so and I began mopping up the dried blood over his mouth. I had to rinse out the towel a few times before he was clean, then I left the rag in the bowl.

"Alright, well, I'm Inkara. Sorry about the whole nose thing. What brings you to my humble ship, Mister…. Bowl, right?" I asked, standing.

"Bolin." He corrected, lightly dabbing his nose with his shirt, adding bloodstains to it. "I came over to thank you, for saving me and Rohan."

"Rohan?" I asked, moving toward the cabin again to retrieve my sketchbook. "Teammate?"

"Baby." Bolin said. "He was kidnapped last night as well."

"A baby?!" I exclaimed, slipping on one of Naomi's pictures. "They kidnapped a baby?"

"You don't remember?" He asked.

I huffed and walked back out. "No. I thought punching you in the face would have cleared that notion up." I sat down at the table as Oswald brought out tea and old cookies.

"Thank you." Bolin nodded to him.

"No problem." Oswald said, sitting down next to me as I flipped through entries.

"You talk?" Bolin asked, surprised.

"Indubitably." He smiled, preparing to pour the tea into the cups.

"I wanna!" Naomi said, reaching for the pot.

"Cool!" Bolin chuckled at Ossie.

"Okay, but don't spill any of it." Oswald said, handing her the pot.

"Don't forget the strainer." I mumbled, still rifling through my sketches.

"Okay, okay." Naomi sighed, slowly pouring the tea into the five cups.

"Hold the top." Ren said,sitting next to Bolin.

"I got it." Naomi frowned, filling the last cup.

"Ha! Found you." I said, jamming a finger onto the paper. "Looks like I have met you."

Bolin leaned over. "Hey, that's pretty good! But why am I labeled as 'driftwood'?"

"Oh, no reason." I said, closing the book. I grabbed a cup and sniffed. "What kind of tea is this?" I asked Oswald.

"Black tea." He answered, looking over the table. "Hm, I forgot the milk and sugar. Be right back."

"Bring the marshmallows, too." I called.

"Marshmallows? In tea?" Bolin asked, furrowing his brow and taking a sip.

"With milk, it's delicious." I said. "So, why'd you come down, besides thanking me."

"I wanted to make sure Ren and Naomi were alright." He said. "You left in a hurry and I didn't get a chance to ask if the girls were okay."

"We're fine." Ren said.

"Not even scared." Naomi smiled.

"Grounded." I reminded them, giving a small glare to Ren.

"Grounded?" He asked, scratching the back of his head. "Man, now I feel responsible."

"Why?" I asked.

"They wouldn't have been out so late if I hadn't taken them out to dinner." He explained, a really pathetic panda pup look on his face. "Oh!" He beamed. "How about I make it up to you guys?"

"You don't have to." I said.

"Oh, come on, Ink." Ren begged. "Just take the man's offer."

"Yeah!" Naomi chimed in. "Please, please, please?"

"Please?" He pleaded. "I'll feel awful if I didn't."

I looked between the three of them. "I don't know." I said, unsure.

"What if he cleans belowdecks for us?" Ren suggested.

"Yeah, we'll help. It can be our replacement punishment." Naomi added.

"Still-"

"He'll throw in cake." Ren said monotonously as Naomi whispered something to Bolin.

I bit my tongue and stared at her. "Don't say things for other-"

"No, I'll throw in cake." Bolin beamed. "I'll bring one cake everyday until belowdecks is clean."

I stared at him, my resolve dissolving, then sighed in annoyance, throwing my head slightly to the side. "Fine. You can start the day after tomorrow."

I have never seen a group of people so happy to do manual labor.

* * *

**Okay, trying something new with posting the writer's thoughts at the bottom. This one is, if you've noticed, twice as long as the others. I also wanted to know if anyone has any questions about the advice she remembers from her older brothers. I will be happy to explain if any one doesn't get it.**


	10. NOTICE

Okay, I really hate where I'm taking this story, so I'll be redoing it all together. I'm focusing more on school and the Waywalker right now, but I will give you guys the prologue. Sorry if you were interested in this tale, but I had too many things going on in it and that just messed with everything. My character was turning into a Mary Sue and I could see it happening and couldn't find a way to stop it. I also had weak explanation to complicated ideas, so complicated that I didn't even know how they connected. I'm going to try harder to make my characters more... human, in the future.


End file.
